Some things you should know about me
When you’re in the market for a contractor, builder, or remodeler, you want to make sure you choose someone reliable and trustworthy. We’ve all heard about the horror stories of homeowners forking out big money up-front for a project and the next thing they know their contractor skips town.
While scenarios like that do happen, if you do your research, ask the right questions, and choose a qualified, registered builder, you should be just fine. That’s one reason why I wanted to write this post. I want to go ahead and answer some of those questions for you so you can get to know me a little better.
- My name is Perry Lyons and I’ve been building homes in Louisville for 37 years.
- Our business focuses exclusively on custom projects, meaning we listen carefully to your needs and work hard to accomplish your vision.
- We’ve never cut corners and we never will.
- I’m on the Board of Directors for the Home Builders Association of Louisville (HBAL)
- I’m also the Chairman for the Codes and Standards Committee.
- I teach the advanced estimating and specifications writing classes at the Home Builders Association of Louisville.
- My office is located in the oldest building on Main Street in Middletown.
- I live in Anchorage in one of many homes we built there.
- I’ve completed custom projects in many prestigious neighborhoods in Louisville including Fox Run, Glen Lakes Section II, Lake Forest, Douglas Hills, Plainview, Briar Hill Estates, Grand Lakes, and many others.
Would you like to learn more and see some of my custom building and remodeling work around Louisville? Contact me and let’s start a conversation. You can also follow along on Twitter and Facebook.
Updating your bathroom before selling
We’ve all heard that kitchens and baths are what sell homes. It’s true. These rooms are usually the hardest and most expensive rooms to renovate, so a lot of the time, buyers are looking for homes with updated kitchens and bathrooms.
As a custom home builder and remodeler, I wanted to talk exclusively about bathrooms today, because we get this question a lot: “How much it costs to update a bathroom.”
The short answer is, “It depends.”
The cost for a bathroom remodel can vary significantly depending on the bath and the house itself. You can spend as little as $1,500 on a repair/remodel on a full bath, or as much as $45,000. When you’re trying to sell your home, sometimes it is better just to give the bath a face lift, rather than spend a lot of time and money on a complete remodel.
Listed below are nine helpful tips to give your bathroom an updated look on a budget:
- Thoroughly clean and remove any discolored caulk and grout around the tub, shower, and the floor around the base of the commode.
- Replace grout with a tub and tile caulk that is available at your local hardware and or home improvement store.
- Remove any discoloration in the commode bowl. There are many products you can use to help with this process, again they are available at your local hardware or home improvement store.
- A fresh coat of paint always makes the bath look newer.
- Make sure all the towel bars are secure and in good shape. Replace these if they are worn and outdated.
- If you have a window in the bath, change the window treatments, giving the bath an updated look.
- Install new light bulbs in the light fixtures and clean the fixtures to lighten and brighten the room.
- Clean the faucets and shower parts and restore to a shiny, newer look.
- And finally, CLEAN the bath thoroughly so it will show well.
If there are other problems that need professional attention, call a local remodeler or builder. They can make necessary repairs without always doing a complete remodel. Share with them your budget so they can best advise you as to how much they can do to help spruce up your bath to help sell your house.
Covered porch addition
I wanted to share a covered porch addition we recently completed on a custom home we built. The buyers of the home called us back to add on a screened-in porch. We posted the complete process on our Flickr account so you can see the progression from start to finish.
After the planning process and the finalizing of the quote, we started and finished this project in about five weeks. Some of our product had to be ordered from the factory so we would have no seams in the porch floor. This cost us a little time, but the end product was worth it.
Our homeowners were very satisfied with the porch when completed. They now enjoy the sunshine much more, as the “rays” don’t bake them and the rain doesn’t soak them when enjoying the outdoors.
Below is a sneak peek of the before and after. Visit our Flicker page for everything in between. If you’re thinking about adding on to your house or just adding on a porch, get in touch with us. We’d love to start a conversation about how we could help.
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We’re Launching Our Custom Building And Remodeling E-newsletter
Sign up for our newsletter!Like many small businesses, we were late to the game when it came to developing an email list so we’re doing it now.
Sure we had lists. Several lists. A list of emails in our accounting. A list of emails in our old Outlook database. A list of emails in Gmail. A list of emails on rosters from various organizations. Probably a lot of emails in file folders from customers and prospects. It’s a daunting task to organize that information, and as we’ve talked to other businesses, they experience this challenge too.
You used to be able to throw people on a big email list and send away, but with spam laws, this is no longer acceptable. That’s a good thing, but it doesn’t always make sense. You know that many of your customers who like the work you’ve done want to hear from you. They gave you that address during the sales process. They corresponded with you many times from that address. Same goes for friends, family, and associates who wouldn’t care if you signed them right up. Technically though, they didn’t opt in and give you permission to send them an e-newsletter.
So that brings us to the point of this blog post. We have sent some invitations out via email to those who have corresponded with us recently. Many of you opted in, and we are very grateful for your attention. We know how precious attention is in this information-driven world. To sweeten the pot, we are running a contest for the first 100 subscribers—we’re half way there by the way. After we reach 100, we will draw two names who will win home improvement gift cards from Lowe’s and/or Home Depot.
So here is yet another chance to register. It’s a simple process. Put your name in the box, add your email, click submit. Then go to your inbox (check your spam folder if you didn’t get one immediately) and click the confirmation link. You’re done. We plan to start with a monthly update, but we may work in some other key messages here and there. You can unsubscribe at any time.
P.S. This is different from getting blog posts via email. That option has been on the site since the beginning. Sign up for that too while you’re at it.
Share on FacebookInterior home remodeling ideas for the winter
It’s the perfect time of year for a remodel. Winter is just around the corner, the fall TV schedule is in full swing, and you’re probably spending more time indoors.
People typically have less commitments and more free time during the winter months, making it the prime time for a home remodeling project…so let’s talk kitchens.
A “dream kitchen” is one item on most people’s wish list. Something cozy not cramped, family-friendly yet functional. When you think about your kitchen, what are some things you’d love to change? It might be the layout, more cabinet space, or just the overall flow of the room. If everything from your floors to your light fixtures are outdated, we can help. Think about the following tips and how they might play a role in your remodel:
• Your kitchen doesn’t necessarily have to be larger in order to function better. With kitchens being the heart of the home for a lot of families, they also play double duty for things like doing homework or entertaining. Your kitchen—despite its size—can be a multi-tasker if you plan carefully. Space-saving solutions that bump-up the functionality include built-in workspaces, banquette seating, and more.
• If you’re remodeling on a budget, but are still looking for that wow factor, splurge on one special luxury. You don’t have to go overboard on every purchase to make a statement. Spending a little more on a wine cooler, backsplash, or appliance will make the space that much more special, custom, and truly built for you.
If you’d like to discuss a kitchen re-do—or any interior project—schedule a free initial consultation. It’s not too late to get your remodeling job priced and finished.
Share on FacebookDouglas Hills Deck Addition Louisville KY
Another Covered Deck Addition in Douglas Hills and another satisfied customer. If it seems like we’ve done a lot of these little custom remodels and additions this year, we have. It’s been one after another since the spring. It’s a great way to add value and usability to your home when you’re not wanting to break the bank.
In this video Perry explains a few differences in this project versus others and gets a glowing testimonial from the owner.
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Repeat customers are our best promotion
A doctor we built for had us build a second house and a medical office after that.
One family had us build 4 houses as their family grew, and we recently finished a commercial build out for their new company, Babyology.
Another family had us build, starting with the family patriarch, and we have built for one of his son’s and daughter’s.
A doctor in Anchorage had us build his first house, and we did 5 remodels/additions to his house. H later referred us to build a house for his brother in law.
Another client in Anchorage is still in their house we built in 1980, and we have done 4 remodeling projects at that house. We recently did a major remodel to their kitchen to accommodate the grandchildren, and we have completed 4 commercial remodels for their business. We are now working for two of their children, currently remodeling 2 projects for them.
We remodeled and built a new corporate addition to a dental office, and continued to build/remodel 5 additional offices for them, also building a new house for one of the dentist partners.
We built a home in Douglas Hills only to come back 20+ years later to do an addition and remodel.
We can only tute our own horn so much, but when our customers tute theirs it speaks volumes.
In the market for a custom home, remodel or addition? Just starting dream, that OK too. Contact us today for a free initial consultation.
Share on FacebookPlanning and designing a room addition
Do I need a set of house plans to add the room on the rear of our house?
Planning is an integral part of any process, regardless of what it is. House additions and alterations are no different. Before investing in a set of building plans, you need to first see if you can do what you want. There may be restrictions that will not allow you to add the the addition the way you have it set in your mind.
Some restrictions may be utility easements, subdivision regulations, zoning issues, neighborhood association regulations, and many other types of stipulations. The planning phase starts way before building plans (blueprints) are started. You should always know where your house sits on your property which may require a land survey. This will identify any easements or items that may alter the way you design your addition or remodeling project. You can then get your builder to prepare a plot plan that will allow them to advise regulatory agencies of what your general plans are.
At this point you are finally ready to design the building plans. Your builder should direct you to a qualified draftsman/designer or architect to start the building plans. We highly recommend Pete Nusz Home Design for our projects.
The last step in the process is to turn those finished building plans into official “blueprints” so permits can be pulled and actual construction can take place.
Share on FacebookWhen remodeling: Part 2
Here’s another little known fact the “contractor friend” won’t mention. The original builder of your home is absolved of many and maybe all responsibilities/warranties when someone else works in that house. Below is a list of examples that may trigger this situation:
- Carpentry, such as altering of framing or even moving a doorway
- Electrical alterations
- HVAC alterations
- Plumbing alterations
Any carpentry change can have an effect on the structural integrity of the house. Any electrical change will have an effect on the electrical panel and code. Any plumbing change can affect the status for code applications.
In the event these types of changes are made the builder and his sub contractors could no longer be responsible for what they did. Their work has been altered without proper permits after they left. To make matters worse your “contractor friend” has no coverage. Original responsibilities and insurance obligations are no longer in effect.
After my explanations, I got the job, and my clients are very happy as the work is progressing.
They commented “he” was a little cheaper than us, but after questioning him about my information, both they and their “contractor friend” decided he should not do the work.
No matter how small the job seems to you, it has consequences. When considering all the consequences, YOU should always chose to work with a licensed professional. It doesn’t have to be us although we’d love to help.
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